Dundee council hears warning that wastewater plant needs upgrades, may require $2 million to restore capacity

Dundee — City staff told the Dundee City Council on an evening meeting that the town’s wastewater treatment plant has ongoing capacity and infiltration/inflow (I&I) problems and will require capital and operational work to avoid future overflows and enforcement action.

Speaker 2, the plant presenter, walked the council through a schematic showing original MBR basins, partially populated cassette stacks and empty basins that were designed for future expansion. He said the plant “is designed to be expandable” but has never operated at full efficiency since commissioning and that a rare storm once sent roughly 2,800 gallons per minute through the headworks, overwhelming pumps and screens.

Councillors and staff described chronic winter inflow into collection lines and manholes where a high water table and older segmented concrete pipes create leaks. Staff estimated repair progress varies by area — roughly 15% complete in the most affected flats, with pockets where 50% of identified leaks have been repaired — and laid out routine steps: camera inspection, targeted manhole joint sealing and interior lining work.

“The plan is expandable,” Speaker 2 said of the membrane system, but council members pressed for specifics on how many cassettes would be needed and what immediate equipment replacements are required. Council was told an early estimate to populate additional cartridges and address headworks and UV disinfection failures was about $2,000,000; staff later qualified that figure had been reduced through scope refinement but that capital would still be required.

Officials agreed the city should take a proactive posture with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Staff said timely paperwork, sampling and regular reporting reduce the risk of punitive enforcement notices; Speaker 2 noted that DEQ typically issues enforcement letters but is more cooperative if jurisdictions file the correct documentation and demonstrate a remediation plan.

Councilors flagged alternative technical approaches for new development in high-water areas, including individual grinder-pump-and-tank systems at homes and fiberglass modules as an alternative to deep stacked concrete manholes. Staff said grinder-pump systems can reduce deep buried pipes and leak points, and that recent headworks screen upgrades have reduced solids that would otherwise harm membrane filters.

The council directed staff to detail funding options — capital improvement funds, federal or state grant opportunities, and potential loans — and to prepare a prioritized list of sewer projects for the next budget process. The meeting closed out with a plan to meet DEQ proactively and to return with refined cost estimates and an implementation timeline.

Votes at a glance: the evening’s consent agenda (approval of council minutes from Sept. 30) was approved by voice vote and recorded as unanimous; individual votes were not provided in the meeting record.

What’s next: staff will refine cost estimates, prioritize I&I repairs for budgeting and begin outreach to DEQ and potential grant/loan sources.